House's Gift
by sharp2799
Summary: Tag to "Damned If You Do." At the end, we see Cameron shaking a gift-wrapped box and smiling. I took it from there. :D House/Cameron


Summary: Tag to "Damned If You Do." At the end, we see Cameron shaking a gift-wrapped box and smiling. I took it from there. :D (And yes, I suck at titles.)

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Note: A holiday gift for athousandsmiles at LJ, with the remarkable beta everytimeyougo.

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Cameron walked through the hospital, the box tucked safely inside her shoulder bag. She could have opened it there but wanted the pleasure of unwrapping it in complete privacy. _A gift from Gregory House._ Never mind if he only gave her one because she gave him one first. When did he ever do the expected? It didn't even matter what it was. It was a gift. From him. And his long slender fingers had touched it, smoothed the wrapping over the box and tied the satiny bow. She shivered in a way that had nothing to do with the night's chill.

Now she was going home to open it, where she could wallow in the pleasure of anticipation flowing over her skin like waves on a beach. Home, where, if she blushed at the very thought of who gave her this gift and her eyes dilated, she didn't need to suppress or be furtive about it. She practically hummed at the thought of untying the ribbon slowly and neatly slitting the paper before opening the lid. She would have a glass of wine to go with it and make it last. Even if the present turned out to be boxes of bubblegum or something equally ridiculous, she was going to squeeze every bit of enjoyment out of this.

So she said a few cheery goodnights to nurses she recognized and headed out into the brisk night. Her car was parked out of immediate sight of the hospital entrance and her breath frosted white as she hurried to it, snowflakes dotting her eyelashes. She turned the corner and stopped dead in her tracks.

House leaned rather negligently against her car, swinging his cane like a pendulum.

"Cat got your tongue, Dr. Cameron?" he called out.

Cameron stared, unable to answer. She had been thinking of smooth wrapping paper and a silky ribbon and undressing it as if it had been him. She was thankful for the night that hid the blush on her cheeks. Even streetlights wouldn't give her away.

"You look embarrassed," he said with a quirk of his eyebrows. "Were you thinking naughty thoughts? Does Santa need to bring you coal?"

"That's between Santa and me," she replied, recovering.

He didn't answer right away, just kept swinging his cane back and forth.

"Is there a reason you're parked against my car?"

"_Parked_. Good one. Actually yes, there is." House didn't meet her eyes. "My car isn't fit for this weather so I was hoping to take advantage of your nice character and get a ride home."

Cameron's stomach tightened but her face remained calm. "Of course." She unlocked the doors and stowed her bag in the back seat while he got into the passenger side. After they were buckled up, she looked at him enquiringly. "I need your address."

"I'll give you directions as we go. Turn right at the corner."

Dutifully, she made the turn and followed his directions carefully until they were in front of his apartment building.

He stared straight ahead. "You didn't open the box yet, did you?"

She glanced at him, startled that he'd even mention it, then looked away. "No. I was going to when I got home."

"You might as well open it now." House seemed to have a strange fascination with the snowflakes melting into tears outside the windshield.

"Okay." Her voice was the faintest murmur as she reached back and brought her bag to her lap.

This wasn't what she had in mind. Sitting in a dark, still-cold car with House, opening her present, felt like a hallucinatory experience. She wondered if she needed to get some tests done on her mental state and before she lost her nerve, she reached over and pinched his wrist.

"What the hell?" House glared at her, rubbing his wrist.

"I wanted to make sure you were really…real," said Cameron, feeling foolish.

"You're not supposed to pinch the hallucination," scolded House. "You're supposed to pinch _yourself_."

Cameron sat limply, the box perched on top of her bag. House huffed in impatience and made as if to grab it but Cameron curved her hands around it protectively. "Mine."

"Yeah, yeah, yours. Are you that attached to wrapping paper?"

She sent him a slanted gaze and slowly pulled the bow ends to the sides. She noticed that he seemed mesmerized by her hands sinuously undoing the ribbon and letting it flutter onto his thighs.

He looked into her face and she wet her lips, half nerves, half…something else. Suddenly, it felt like Allison Cameron was really going to get the present she longed for.

"Do it," House said hoarsely.

With a move that startled them both, Cameron tore the paper in half with a loud rip and lifted the lid. She parted the tissue paper and brought out a snow globe.

House flicked on the overhead lights and Cameron shook the round glass slightly and peered at the scene. It was New York City, surrounded by glittering, swirling snow.

"It's beautiful," she whispered.

House cleared his throat. "Wanna go sometime?"

Startled, Cameron lifted her eyes to his and nodded wordlessly at what she saw there.

"Pick you up tomorrow morning at ten. Don't be late." He leaned in and kissed her swiftly, just the lightest touch of his lips on hers, and then he was gone.

Cameron lowered the window. "I won't," she called out breathlessly. She shook the globe one last time, watching the snow settle peacefully on the miniature city before placing it carefully into the box and shifting into drive.


End file.
